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Dubai: Three out of 25 Emiratis, who were acquitted on Tuesday in the secret group case, have been released, Gulf News can confirm.

The lawyer of the three Emiratis, two men and a woman, handed over the release orders of his clients to Al Wathba Prison’s management shortly after the State Security Court handed out its judgement.

“Badr Abdul Rahman Al Hammadi and Ahmad Saleh Al Hammadi were released from Al Wathba Prison shortly after the judgement. The woman, Naeema Mohammad Abdullah, was already out on bail. As soon as we obtained the release orders from the State Security Prosecution, we handed over those orders to the prison and had the suspects released,” advocate Yasser Al Naqbi, told Gulf News on Thursday.

Gulf News was not able to reach the lawyers of the remaining acquitted defendants.

The State Security Court on Tuesday convicted 69 out of the 94 Emirati suspects accused of forming an illegal organisation that plotted to undermine the country’s security and seize power.

Presiding judge Falah Al Hajiri said 25 of the suspects, mostly women, were acquitted of all charges. Fifty-six people were sentenced to 10 years in jail, eight people were sentenced in absentia to 15 years and five were handed a prison sentence between three to seven years.

The court ordered the seizure of some of the suspects’ money, buildings and property used to establish and finance the illegal organisation.

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